My wife has seven siblings and she is number seven. Last weekend five of the siblings got together along with spouses and other family to celebrate the oldest sister’s birthday. The oldest brother, who will turn 90 soon, was there. We are thankful that all eight siblings are still alive, along with my three sibling brothers who we ate with on Saturday evening. Check out some pictures of the party at “88“.
Posts Tagged ‘Birthday’
88
Posted in Birthday, Family, tagged Birthday, Family, Siblings on March 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Celebrating 61
Posted in Family, General, Hike, Nature, Old, Outdoors, Photo, tagged Birthday, Family, High Shoals Waterfall, Hike, Outdoors, Waterfall on January 7, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I worked on a deck project for about half of the day before my son and his wife came for lunch. I thought we would be sitting around and talking, but he declared that he, his wife, and his brother had planned a hike for the afternoon. I asked to come along for what was a surprise outing on my birthday.
My youngest son decided that he wanted to enter the woods downstream of the main parking lot. The lower lot was full so we had to walk down the road a bit to get to where we wanted to begin on the trail.
For a change of pace we did the usual trail to the falls backwards, hiking up the long, steep, old logging road to a point above the falls. On the way up there is one small view of the waterfall, which was further obscured by fog this day. The backlighting of the fog caused outlines around twigs in the following picture- odd.
Fog precludes panoramic views but it quietens and narrows the woods down to a more introspective view.
I think that my earth tones blend well with the trunks and leaves.
Sometimes bridges are provided which helps when the water is up and cold. This has been another year of excessive rain, so clogged and sand lined creeks are common.
There is always something foreboding about the top of a waterfall.
Most rock can hold its own weight up, so what level of forces are needed to crack boulders in this way and what supplied it?
The following picture has a number of curious elements. Check out the lower trunk on the small tree a the right. What happened to cause that? The moss testifies to the fact that this area is always wet, not just during a damp fog. The couple are frame perfectly, observing nature, and yet seem out of place somehow. There has been much slippage for these boulders to lie just so. The noise and action of a waterfall never ceases to grab our attention, but there is so much more going on if we look closer.
The splash zone of this waterfall and rapids below is quite large so there are plenty of Hornworts, Liverworts, Mosses, and Ferns. Check out the Doghobble at the right.
We came across some friends, all girls: a mother, 4 daughters, and 2 cousins.
There is plenty of Doghobble and Rhododendron, too.
We took a new side trail to a small waterfall as well.
River rocks are so good at revealing the geology above their resting place. Though colorful in variety, they speak loudly of the regional metamorphism that shaped these mountains.
My young friend took the following pictures. She is improving regularly in her framing and composition of her photographs. I wear the sunglasses on my head out of habit even when there is little hope of the fog clearing.
I did not expect a hike on my birthday. I mused later that God is good in the little details as well as the big. I enjoyed the day with a few of my children.
Two and Counting
Posted in Birthday, Family, General, Grandchildren, Photo, Relationship, tagged Birthday, Family, Grandchildren, Relationships, Visiting on August 4, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Partytime! The little man just turned two so we had a party. Grandparents don’t need much excuse to visit. Growing slowly but steadily, he is a wonder of modern medicine and a trophy of God’s grace given his heart challenges at birth. He takes a bit of time to warm up to you, and dons quite a serious expression, but he studies everything quite closely.
Distracted attention
He is always up to go for a ride in the truck, especially since we went to see a front-end loader dump topsoil in the bed of the truck.Â
“I’m tied down at the moment.”
While daddy was in the store, we listened to hymns and pretended to be going somewhere.
In the driver’s seat
Besides Mamaw and Grandpa, his uncle and wife came, along with a friend and her parents.
Party!
The friend’s dad has a job collecting stories from WWI and II veterans and their families. Here the little man’s dad is telling his great-grandfather’s story of being in the Med, the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Pacific for over three years. The many stories friend shared were amazing. The one about General Patton’s personal pilot was fascinating. Escaping from a Swiss prison camp was amazing.
War Stories
A storybook with moving parts is the best. I don’t know how much reading or literary learning goes on, but it is non-stop fun. Everyone wants to see the new gifts.
Opening presents
Big Sis has a few stories of her own to tell.Â
Hanging out
The pictures don’t show it, but the little man actually laughed and ran around quite a bit. Others were focusing on their various forms of media.
- Always the serious one
- It was good to be together. We moved dirt. We heard a sermon and sang. We ate a feast. We talked to family and new friends. We cleaned up dishes. We talked and talked and talked. We walked. We read and took pictures and googled. We came home tired.Â
Big 6-0
Posted in Birthday, General, God Thoughts, Grace, Praise, Remembering, Reminiscence, Thanksgiving, tagged Birthday, Life, Old, Thanksgiving on January 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »
I am thankful to God for life and grace. Today I am 60 years old. I appreciate all of my friends who have said, “Happy Birthday”. I got to thinking. I am twice as old as one of my colleagues, four times as old as most of my students, six time older than the students of my Sunday School class, and about 9 to 42 times as old as my grandchildren, oh, and about 1/16th the age of Methuselah. I pray that God may sustain me for better service in the coming years that He has ordained for me than in the ones past. He is the one to whom I give glory and thanks for health, purpose, ministry, direction, freedom, family, knowledge, opportunity, possessions, and comforts. This life is short with joys and struggles. I came in with a snowstorm and have no idea how I may go out, but I best put away futility and enjoy what God has given me while I may, not is a lackadaisical way, but in diligent life and service with thanksgiving. For He is worthy and life is short. I want to choose joy and decisiveness and humility over worry and regret and need of self justification. May it be so.
Scottish Birthday
Posted in Family, General, Grandchildren, Photo, Scottish, tagged Birthday, Family, Grandchildren, Photos, Scottish on April 24, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Scotch-Irish blood runs in our veins on both sides of the family. I had not thought all that much of it until I took my young family to the Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina many years ago. My oldest son has never been the same. Combined with significant family history studies, he frequently dresses himself and his children in kilts and tartans. His oldest son has a very Scottish name, the middle name of Royal descent and protectorate of our own family name. So, it was no surprise when his eldest son asked for a Scottish birthday party, complete with dressing up, listening to bagpipes and ballads, and Scottish food. The boiled eggs deep fried in sausage, the bannocks, and the leek salad were of most interest to me and very good. With my wife, our eldest son and wife, their four children, and two of our other sons, one with his wife, we had quite a merry event. We even shot rifles and a pistol on an appropriately drizzly day. Check out some of the festivities:
Black Watch?
Old Duffer
The Feast Begins
Sprawled out Uncle
The Matron is ever multi-tasking with a smile
This little box can capture pictures of you!
Mamaw Observes
Dressed for the Feast
Holding up the Royal Standard of Scotland
“Please, kind sir, what is going on in my house?”
Cuddly Moment
Intense Moment
Mamaw gave me new sandals.
Changing of the guard
CreatorWorship 